Following a successful appeal, the match was replayed at North Belfast’s Seaview stadium on Thursday. All variables had to remain – the venue, the moment in the game it was awarded and the same players – for a surreal re-enactment.

Williamson, knowing a goal would secure England a place in the women’s Under-19 Championship finals in Israel this July, struck confidently, this time in view of the replacement referee Kateryna Zora.

Leah Williamson’s penalty ensured that England will be in Israel this summer. Photograph: Charles Mcquillan/Getty Images

After participating in the match which lasted precisely 65 seconds, including the scheduled 18 seconds from when the players resumed from the centre circle, Williamson said: “They were the longest 24 hours of my life – I hadn’t slept. I think I was just excited, I went through so many emotions and just felt excitement, so I thought ‘Yep, that’s how I am going to feel.’

“We had a conversation just before I came out which was quite emotional – we have been through a bigger journey than some people go in their whole careers because of what happened. When something is taken away from you like that, you realise just how much you want it, and that’s what happened. Qualifying is such a huge deal for us, it’s massive.

“We had an emotional chat before we went out about how it isn’t just about me, it is about the team. Getting to Israel is a great boost.”

Williamson also scored a penalty earlier on Thursday in a 3-1 win over Switzerland, which she says was the perfect preparation.

“For that penalty, I stuck it in the corner opposite to the one I go for. It helped me feel confident. But I did ask myself: ‘What are the chances of scoring a penalty, in a competitive fixture, before the biggest pen of your life?’ It’s just one of those things you’ll never forget.”